Rockwell Works - Drawing-in warp beams with workers

Dating to around 1920, this photograph shows female workers preparing beams for the weaving looms. Note the obviously young age of some of the girls.

Rockwell Works was built around 1866 but was rebuilt and enlarged following a substantial fire in 1895. Jute was liable to spontaneously combust if left for long periods and this led to several fires in the Dundee mills. To solve this, timber framed buildings clad in sheet metal were introduced in the late 1890s. These provided easy access for firemen and could be rebuilt cheaply if needed. Rockwell’s rebuild was an example of this.

After the decline of the Dundee textile industry the mill was used by Okhai for manufacturing crisp packets before the site was demolished in 1988.  

Drawing-in warp beams with workers. Photograph, black and white, from a collection of photographs entitled 'Rockwell Works about 1920'. This particular photograph depicts drawing-in warp beams with workers. 'Rockwell Works, the Boase Spinning Company Ltd' printed on the reverse with hand written notes.